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(No-Model.)

R. WQS-GOTT STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

No. 473,787. Patented Apr. 26, 1892'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WV. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO LOUIS N. D. W'ILLIAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,787, dated April 26., 1892.

Application filed June 24, 1891. Serial No. 397,800. (No model.)

To aZZ whomit may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. Scorr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Stockings and Method of Making Same, of which the followingis a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a stocking with what is known as a square [0 heel, resembling in a measure the heel of what is known as a full-fashioned stocking, but to produce it in ajsimpler and cheaper way upon knitting-machines in ordinary use, a further object being to apply the same method of construction which is adopted in the formation of the heel for the purpose of widening the leg of the stocking at the calf. These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanyzo ing drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of part of a stocking having a heel produced in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a View of the heel portion of the stocking shown in a flat plane.

Fig. 3 is a similar view representing another method of forming the heel. Fig. i is a diagram illustrative of the operation of knitting to form the heel. Fig. 5 is a View illustrating a method of carrying out the invention, and Fig. 6 is a View illustrating the method of forming the calf of the stocking in accordance with my invention.

IVhat is known as a square heel is a desirable feature in stockings; but such heels 3 5 as usuallyproduced are expensive and require the employment of special machinery.

In order to make upon ordinary knittingmachines such as are in common use a heel resembling such expensive square heel, I produce a heel-blank having in it at the rear a central tapering recess formed by courses of varying length produced by narrowing or Widening in the knitting operation and having around its lower edge a series of running 5 courses of stitches-that is to say, courses of stitches extending from edge to edge of the blank and along the ends of the graduated courses, so that loops are presented along the lower edge and rear corner of the blank to permit of the uniting of the edges at these points without the formation of bulky seams.

The blank shown in Fig. 2 is of a width equal to twice the width' of the heel in the finished stocking and has in the upper portion on courses of stitches extending across it from edge to edge; but toward the bottom of the heel these courses are gradually contracted in length 011 each side of the center of the heel, as shown at b b, so as to form a cen tral tapering recess cl; but along the bottomof the heel-blank are a number of courses f, extending from edge to edge of the heel and following the contour of the central. recess. When this heel is folded, therefore, on the central line 00 w, it forms the desired square heel with a rounded or tapered lower corner presenting along the bottom edge and corner a running course of stitches, so that this portion of the heel can be readily united by means of an ordinary seaming-machine, and the heel thus closed without the formation of a bulky seam therein.

In carrying out the invention I may form two heels at one time upon two different stocking-legs, and for this purpose half of one le tube may be applied to half of the needles around the circular-knitting-machine head, (represented by the circular line in Fig. 4,) half of the tube, constituting another stocking-leg, being applied to the needles around the other half of said head. Circular knitting is then carried on, so as to form a tube of the desired length for that portion of the heel-blank extending from the top of the same down to the point where the narrowings are to begin. 8 5 Three-fourths of the needles of the head are then thrown out of action, butretain their stitches, and to-and-fro knitting is proceeded with upon the other one-fourth of theneedlessay upon the needles 1 to 2, Fig. lt-needles be- 0 ing successively thrown out of action, but retaining their stitches at the end 2 of the set until the desired narrowin g has been eifected, whereupon all of the needles which remain in actionsay from one to threeare thrown out 5 of action, but retain their stitches, and the needles of that quarter of the head from 2 to 4 are thrown into action and to-and-fro knitting is carried on upon these needles in the same way until the web is narrowed-say to the point 5-whereupon the needles from 1 to 2 are brought into action and a series of courses of stitches are formed around the half of the head from 1 to 4, so as to form the band f. The needles from 1 to 3 to 5 to eare then thrown out of action and a similar heel-blank is formed upon the opposite side of the head by to-andfro knitting upon theneedles from 1 to 6, narrowing to 7, throwing the needles from 7 to 1 out of action, but permitting them to retain their stitches. Then knitting to and fro upon the needlesfrom 4 to 6, narrowing to 8, and then forming continuous courses of stitches from 4 to 1. The continuous tube is then severed. on opposite sides uptothe point of attachment to the-leg-tubes, and the front" half of each leg-tube is then applied to the needles of the footing-machine, upon which a-foot-tubeis produced many ordinary. way, any desirediform of toe being formed upon such foot-tube. The heel is then completed by uniting-thefront edges ofthe heel-blank to the rear edge of the sole portion'of the footandby'closingthe bottom and rear. corner of the heel. by uniting the loops at the lower edges-of the band f,. as above set forth; or, if desired, thefront edges of the heel-blank may be united. to the. sole portion of the foot. by jabbing said edges upon the needles around aboutone-half of the footing-machine before commencing to knit the foot. It will be evident-,however, that the heel can be formed singly by reciprocating knitting onone-half of the needles of the head from the start,

theheel-blank inthis case having the admin-- rage-of front selvage edges insteadof' edges say. from. 1 to 4 around one-half of'the Ina-- ohineand'by throwingneedles out of action at thecenter of the set first on one side and then on the opposite side of the center, the

needles so thrown out of actionvretaining their stitches and the knitting-thread being carried across the needles whichare out of. action inthe-form of floats g, as shown in. Fig. 3, all of the needles being restored to action when the desired narrowings have been effected,'soas 1 to provide for the formation ofv the running courses f.. The heelmayalso be produced by a knitting operationthe reverse of either of those describedthat is to say, all of the nee-- dles may first be in action and a sufficient number of courses may be formed thereon to produce the band f, whereupon sufficient of the needles may be thrown out of action tolimit the knitting to the'narrowest portion of the web, andthese needles maybe successively broughtinto action until the web has been jproperly widened.

In forming two heels simultaneously in the manner set forth in connection with Fig. 3, the knitting may be continuous circular knitting throughout, and the heels may be subsequently severed from each other by. cutting them apart at each side.

Instead of knitting the heel onto the leg in the manner set forth, the heel may be separately produced, and the stitches around the upper. end of the same may be run onto thev fneedles around one-half of the ordinary circular machine having either beard or latch needles and upon which tubular work is being produced, the heel in this case simply hanging upon the outside of the tube, as shown in Fig. 5, and the tube being afterward severed throughout half its circumference ata point immediately beneath the point of attachment of the heel, so that the-foot portion of the tube can be bent around and the stitches at the rear end of thesole'portion of the foot united to the front edges of the heel-pocket.

Another plan, and what may be considered thepreferable plan, of formingthe heel: upon a machine adapted for the productionof continuoustubularwork. is tothrow onefhalf of the needles out of action, but permit themito retain their stitches, and thentoproducethe heel upon the other half of the needles in either of the ways above set for-th,the other half of the needlesbeing then brought into action and the formation of tubular work proceeded with, the heel in thiscasebeingin the form of a;pocket-orprojection'uponacontinuous tube, and the latter being cut just. below the starting-point of. the hGGLSOPthaDiB. can be turned around toform thefootin the manner last abovementioned; or, if desired,

the stitches may be cast off ofthe needles around one-half of the head on-the completion iand the stitches around the lower edge of this ;tube from/y to y-are then applied to thence- ;dles of a smaller machine for forming the: jankle and foot portion of the stooking, the v istitches onthe edges from y tow being, united l ;to complete the calf.

heel-pocket in. halves .ispreferred whenmak ing stockings in which theshaping of the ankle is effected by cutting the, leg-tube, as

.the stitches around the upper edges of the ,two halves of theheelmaythen'be appliedto Eseparated. sets of needles ofthe circular headfor instance, totheneedles from 1 to;3 and from 4 to 5in Fig. t-thus leaving the fabric produced on the needles from: 3 to 5 to" be cut out, in shaping the-ankle.

and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A stocking havinga heel with graduated ;courses of stitches on each side of the lower portion and having along the bot-tomand rear corner running courses of stitches, forminga The plan before described of forming; the

Having thus described my invention, l clai'm:

V at the rear corner of the heel, and united at their meeting edges along the bottom and corner of the heel, substantially as specified.

2. A stocking having a leg with enlarged or calf portion having graduated courses of stitches on each side and below the same running courses of stitches extending around the ends of the graduated courses, the lowermost of said running courses of stitches being united throughout aportion of its length to the top course of the ankle-tube and the opposite stitches throughout the remaining portion of the course being united to each other, subin first throwing out of action a portion of the needles upon which the leg-tube was produced, but permitting them to retain their stitches, forming heel-stitches upon the remaining needles, graduating the courses on opposite sides of a central line, forming running courses beyondsaid graduated courses and extending along the ends of the same, then throwing into action the other needles and forming the foot-tube, and finally uniting the rear edges of the sole to the front edges of the heel and uniting the running courses along the bottom and corner of the heel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

EUGENE ELTERICH, HARRY SMITH. 

